FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT LEGACY CARRIERS - PAGE 3

United Airlines will stop flying to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach after Sept. 2, a sign of how an unprecedented increase in fuel costs is forcing painful changes on many of the best known names in U.S. aviation. The nation's second-biggest airline will consolidate South Florida operations at Miami International Airport, where it can benefit most from international connecting traffic, a spokesman said Wednesday. The airline known for its "Fly the Friendly Skies" slogan has had a small but steady presence at airports in Broward and Palm Beach counties for decades.

When the union's inspiration through the workers' blood shall run, There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun. Yet what force on Earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one? But the union makes us strong. That is the rousing first verse of the labor anthem Solidarity Forever, written in 1915 and sung to the tune of The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Ninety years later, "forever" has expired. Pilots, flight attendants and other members of different unions are crossing the picket lines manned by members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association.

A little more than a year ago, Gerard Arpey took the reins of an airline on fire. It was hardly an auspicious start for the new head of American Airlines. American was losing millions of dollars a day. Employees were ready to riot over pay givebacks. And passengers weren't rushing for seats, given the soft economy and terrorism fears. But in the past 13 months, Arpey has made strides in turning the world's largest airline around, narrowly avoiding bankruptcy, shaving costs by $4 billion and smoothing labor relations.

If you're cash-strapped and banking on frequent flier miles to make a last-minute summer vacation possible, you may be disappointed. Airlines have cut routes to adjust for weak travel demand so planes are still flying almost full and routes to popular destinations are packed. Some experts say the crunch doesn't leave much room for summer passengers competing for a free ride. Fliers are better off waiting to book award trips this fall or winter, said Tom Parsons, founder of BestFares.com.

Small, fast-growing airlines are steadily eroding the big carriers' dominance, and nowhere is that more evident than in pilot hiring. While the largest airlines still have about 9,100 pilots on furlough, regional and low-fare carriers hired almost 9,400 pilots last year, according to firms that track pilot jobs. The reason: Smaller carriers, such as Spirit or ExpressJet, are buying more planes while large carriers, such as United and American, are streamlining. That has left smaller carriers, who pay less and don't offer as attractive benefits, hungry to find enough qualified pilots.

INSURANCE Good news: Again, there is little good news for the state's property owners. Bad news: Don't expect rates to go down, after big increases for many home and business owners in 2006. Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-backed insurance company of last resort, is now the largest home insurer in Florida and is expected to get even bigger. What to watch: The Legislature is scheduled to meet in Tallahassee beginning Jan. 16 for a special session on property insurance. Legislators are expected to tackle a few critical items, including reversing a required Citizens rate increase put into state law in 2006 and giving insurers easier access to the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund.